Seven times since 2020 a transfer quarterback has led a team to a College Football Playoff championship game.
In the past two years of the 12-team CFP era, all four title-game quarterbacks have been transfers.
Will Howard gave Ryan Day his first national title at Ohio State to cap the 2024 season after Howard transferred from Kansas State; Fernando Mendoza delivered Indiana’s crown last season amidst a record-setting Heisman Trophy campaign after arriving from Cal.
There are 11 notable transfers at the sport’s premium position to monitor this fall, a group that carries with them 279 games, 386 passing touchdowns, 96 rushing TDs and 51,902 passing yards.
Teams elevated by acquisition of a veteran quarterback:
LSU: Sam Leavitt
Lane Kiffin and the Tigers nearly landed Brendan Sorsby from Cincinnati in the January transfer portal but landed on ex-Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt. We’ll leave discussions on what kind of bayou soap opera could have unfolded with Sorsby and the self-ascribed Portal King to focus on Leavitt. He’s logged 24 career games, thrown for 36 touchdowns and added 10 rushing scores. His biggest question is health, as Leavitt is recovering from Lisfranc surgery.
Oklahoma State: Drew Mestemaker
Once-renowned for their quarterbacks’ play under former coach Mike Gundy, the Cowboys are hoping to recapture that magic with new coach Eric Morris and his record-setting ex-North Texas quarterback, Mestemaker. The nation’s leading passer a year ago, Mestemaker has 4,841 passing yards in 19 career games with 42 total touchdowns.
In another key year for Dave Aranda atop the Baylor program, former Florida QB — and one-time Gatorade National Player of the Year — DJ Lagway seeks to reinvent his career while helping the Bears regain relevancy in the Big 12. In 24 games with the Gators, Lagway had 28 touchdowns but a whopping 23 picks. But he’s not the most turnover-prone signal-caller with a new team.
Indiana: Josh Hoover
The Hoosiers have their third transfer-quarterback in as many seasons under Curt Cignetti, who’s engineered the greatest turnaround in college football history — in large part due to his quarterbacks’ play. Enter Hoover, the former TCU QB with immense passing stats and a need to whittle down his turnovers. His 9,629 passing yards in 36 games with 71 touchdowns also include 33 interceptions.
Penn State: Rocco Becht
The most experienced of the group and also multi-dimensional, Becht followed Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State after playing 42 games for the Cyclones. He amassed 83 touchdowns, 64 of them through the air, and threw for more than 9,200 yards. But life in the Big Ten presents an entirely new challenge for the 6-1-inch, 208-pound son of former NFL tight end Anthony Becht.
Miami: Darian Mensah
Seeking a return to the CFP and unafraid to ignite intra-conference controversy, the Hurricanes plucked Mensah from 2025 ACC champ Duke. Mensah’s a two-time conference title-winning QB, winning the American at Tulane before heading to the Blue Devils. He’s thrown for 56 touchdowns against 12 interceptions with 6,696 passing yards in 27 career games.
Auburn: Byrum Brown
Like Becht and Mestemaker, Brown has a new uniform on the heels of following his coach from South Florida to The Plains. With 35 career games, Brown enters SEC play with 7,680 passing yards and 92 total touchdowns — 31 on the ground.
Kentucky: Kenny Minchey
Entering the Will Stein era, Kentucky is turning to a former four-star prospect and hoping Stein continues the strong work he’s done with transfer quarterbacks in his previous stop at Oregon. Minchey served as backup to Riley Leonard and CJ Carr during his time at Notre Dame, appearing only as a reserve in 10 games. But the lure of the SEC and working with Stein, Minchey told USA TODAY Sports, helped Kentucky land his services over Nebraska.
Missouri: Austin Simmons
Briefly Lane Kiffin’s starting quarterback at Ole Miss, Simmons brings 17 games of experience and a need to fix a touchdown to interception ratio that sits 6:5. He’ll work with new Tigers OC Chip Lindsey, as well as ex-Clemson play-caller Garrett Riley — now Missouri’s quarterbacks coach.
Virginia Tech: Ethan Grunkemeyer
Ultimately starting in seven games last season at Penn State, Grunkemeyer reunites with James Franklin in the ACC. He flashed a toughness for the Nittany Lions, even after Franklin’s firing, and helped Penn State fight its way into a bowl game. He’s thrown for 1,348 yards with nine total touchdowns and four picks in 12 career games.
Virginia: Beau Pribula
Nearly hitting all Power Four conferences, Pribula arrives at Virginia after beginning his career at Penn State, starting 10 games last season for Missouri and transferring to Virginia, which is coming off a record-setting year under coach Tony Elliott. He’s proved capable both in the passing game and running the football, with 16 of his 36 career touchdowns via the rush. Though he’s appeared in 33 career games, his only starting experience came in his 7-3 ledger with Missouri.
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